RYE, COLORADO — More than 101,000 acres and at least 337 homes have been destroyed by the Aspen Acres fire in southern Colorado. The fire is now the seventh largest in the history of Colorado, and state officials said it is a national priority for wildfires. Over 16,000 people have been evacuated since the fire began at the end of June, including 140 member households of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Wildfire evacuees have been sheltering with family members, friends and in the homes of Pueblo Colorado Stake members.
The fire began near the town of Beulah, Colorado, on June 29. Evacuations began that same day.
Sisters Katie and Breann Kirkland were at home in Beulah, which is in a valley in south-central Colorado on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, when they noticed smoke and flames through a bedroom window. Their parents, Cindy and Mike Kirkland, began preparing the family for evacuation. As they loaded, Mike Kirkland recalled receiving official alerts to leave, including an unexpected visit from the Beulah fire chief.
He said, “I did not want to leave, but … it was the smart thing to do.”
The Kirkland family has lived in Beulah since 1865. Twenty members of the Kirkland family reside in Beulah in homes spread over 400 acres. In the initial days of the blaze, the fire burned some of the Kirklands’ property and came within a mile of Cindy and Mike Kirkland’s home. The fire continues to expand outward, fueled by winds and dry conditions in the area. Fire officials report that 850 structures have been destroyed including homes and commercial properties.
Since evacuation, the Kirklands have been staying with Adam and Kelli Haight of the Pueblo Ward. Despite being in the same ward, the Kirklands didn’t know the Haights well.
“This is one way to get to know them,” Mike Kirkland said. “There’s been a lot of good things coming out of this … We’re very, very thankful.”
Cindy Kirkland said: “When Kelli agreed to take us in, I really don’t think she quite expected us to be there two weeks. Everything fell into place when it was supposed to.”
Since the fire began, the evacuation zone has expanded across Custer, Pueblo and Fremont counties including the mountain towns of Rye and Colorado City in Pueblo County and Wetmore in Custer County. Beulah is in Pueblo County.
Dan and Winona Carlile of Colorado City have been evacuated twice.
Dan Carlile said: “We thought the fire was going to stay farther away, but then after a couple of days it kept coming towards us. Then we got the notice to evacuate.”
The Carliles went to a family member’s home outside of the evacuation zone. Two days later at 1 a.m., Dan and Winona Carlile evacuated again as the fire spread east.
Dan Carlile said: “We came to the Pueblo Stake center and found lots of helpful people. They’ve put us up with a family in the Pueblo West 1st Ward. It’s been really good out there … This community has really come together because of this.”
Winona Carlile added, “Everybody’s been so kind and understanding.”
Dan Carlile observed: “We’ve always been on the giving side when we’re helping. This is different, very humbling.”
Nancy Peterson of Rye found out about the fire through other members. Her husband, Arlin Peterson, was working in Pueblo — which is northeast of Beulah, Rye and Colorado City — when the notice came for mandatory evacuation. As Nancy Peterson packed some belongings and four children into their family vehicle, her husband raced to meet her.
Arlin Peterson recalled: “I was in denial. I thought, no way. … I want to just go home. I saw the smoke on the top of the hill and realized I had to leave.”
The Petersons recalled many memories in their home of 13 years. They reminisced about holiday traditions, campfires in the backyard and missionary homecomings. On Sunday, July 5, the family fasted and prayed.
“We prayed that there would be angels around about our home,” Arlin Peterson said, adding, “On the first of the month I paid my tithing and I was just banking on that prayer and that promise.”
Nancy Peterson commented: “We’ve seen the Lord’s hand in everything that’s happened. It hasn’t been an act of injustice. It’s all been in tender mercy. In many cases [we’ve seen] an answer to prayers.”
Evacuated members anxiously await news of the status of their homes. The fire has reportedly come within 200 yards of the Petersons’ home, which sits on the southwestern perimeter of the fire at the end of a cul-de-sac. Miraculously, the home still stands.
Arlin Peterson thought about a prayer that he heard, asking for things to go back to normal. He decided, “We don’t want to go back to normal; we want to go back with a humble heart.”
Zane and Kathy Chartrand of Colorado City thought their home was a safe distance from the fire and that they would not need to evacuate.
As the fire raged closer, they reluctantly left their home with suitcases packed with clothes and pictures of their children and grandchildren.
Kathy Chartrand recalls: “We didn’t think when we left at 3:30 in the morning that the fire was going to take it because the firemen were flying helicopters back and forth … dumping water on the hilltop. We spent the night with a friend in Walsenburg, a half hour south of us. In the morning when we got up we wanted to get over there to see if it was OK. We got up and we looked and it was just gone.”
Zane Chartrand is a retired building contractor. The couple built their farmhouse-style home over 30 years including living space for their 12 children, a barn and a large shop. Kathy Chartrand recalls furniture that her husband made himself and antiques that she had refinished, including a pair of rocking chairs inherited from her grandparents.
Kathy Chartrand said: “A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into it and it all just evaporated overnight. It’s still hard to wrap our heads around it. But we have faith and the Lord has plans for us.”
Despite the loss, the Chartrands are optimistic about their future. A year prior, they felt prompted to meet with an insurance agent and update their home’s plan. Due to the upgrade, they now have the option to rebuild or relocate.
Zane Chartrand said: “I’d never really gone through a shock like that … but as the days went by, we started jokingly looking for a silver lining in the cloud. Each day we saw a good thing that came from it. A little bit at a time. We got a lot of comfort from it. Right now we’re accepting it and moving forward. We have lots of options.”
Since evacuations began, bishops of the impacted wards have been working with ward Relief Society and elders quorum presidencies to identify, contact and assist evacuees. Bishop Aaron Garner and Relief Society President Amy Fox of the Rye Ward are using a combination of email surveys, texting tools and phone calls to communicate with ward evacuees. Due to the large number of evacuees, the effort to track member needs has been extraordinary, especially given that both Bishop Garner and Fox are evacuees themselves.
Some members in Colorado City and Beulah have been allowed to return home, but Rye is still evacuated. Most homes are expected to remain without power for weeks to months. Many homes are also without water due to the use of wells that run on electric pumps. The Rye chapel remains in the evacuation zone, and displaced members have been attending sacrament meetings in chapels across the Pueblo Colorado Stake.
Church members have served wildfire evacuees through opening their homes, donating supplies and serving as volunteers.
In response to the disaster, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints donated a semitruck of bottled water, peanut butter and jam to the Care and Share food bank of southern Colorado. The supplies are being used to feed the more than 1,700 firefighters working on the front line of the fire.
Members of several stakes in Colorado Springs, which is about 45 miles (about 73 kilometers) north of Pueblo, have donated supplies for evacuees including food, toiletries and gift cards. Stake Relief Society President Shelli Garrett of the Colorado Springs East Stake reached out to stake members via email for donations. She delivered a load of supplies to Pueblo on July 10. That evening, volunteers at the Pueblo Colorado Stake Center distributed the supplies to around 200 people.
Pueblo Colorado Stake Relief Society President Mary Marble has been coordinating both donations and the effort to match evacuees with temporary housing.
Marble said, “It has touched me deeply to see so many [people] willing to share and give.”
Nikki Peterson of the Pueblo West 4th Ward has been housing wildfire evacuee Angela Holmes since July 1. Peterson said: “This is a perfect example to teach my children about service. They’ve been wonderful with her. I have seen a different side of my children … [with] a lady who was a complete stranger to us.”
The Pueblo Colorado Stake has provided volunteers for the Pueblo County Disaster Assistance Center throughout the evacuation. The center has hosted thousands of evacuees. Melanie Maurer of the Pueblo West 4th Ward has been serving in the center alongside members of other churches and nonprofit organizations. Maurer works at the supply distribution tables giving out food and toiletries from nonprofit organizations including Care and Share and United Way.
Maurer said: “Most people feel very grateful that they are safe, that their families are safe and that they feel so much support from the community. All of these churches coming together to donate and volunteer has been so heartwarming, and I feel privileged to be able to help in the tiniest way.”
Marble said: “Over the past two weeks, I have witnessed countless hours of service. I have watched donations pour in from hundreds of people who simply wanted to help relieve suffering and support those who have been displaced.”
She continued: “We are service-oriented people, and I think most of us would much rather be on the giving end than the receiving end … At times, each of us must allow someone else the blessing of serving us. Over these past two weeks, I have witnessed both. I have seen extraordinary generosity from those who wanted to give, and I have seen humility and gratitude from those willing to receive.”
The Aspen Acres fire is expected to burn for weeks and is currently 66% contained.
— Jenney Mead is the Pueblo Colorado Stake communications director.
